Symptoms of spinal canal stenosis

The complaints that can be caused by spinal canal stenosis are varied and not very characteristic. Only at a very advanced stage of spinal canal stenosis does a disease-specific constellation of symptoms (signs of disease) appear. The general symptoms of spinal canal stenosis include Typical symptoms of spinal canal stenosis are back pain with maximum when walking and radiating from the buttocks into the legs as well as a feeling of weakness in the legs.

By preventing the trunk, the symptoms improve (e.g. riding a bicycle). Also by sitting down and lying down.This is why spinal canal stenosis is also called claudication (Claudicatio spinalis), because the affected persons have to stop after short walking distances to experience pain relief. Because this is often unpleasant and embarrassing for the patients, they pretend to be interested in the displays in the shop windows.

Back pain (lumbago) at rest, during movement, under stress, depending on the severity of the disease
Back pain radiating into the legs (lumboischialgia), either corresponding to the area of spread (dermatome) of a nerve root or non-specific.
Sensory disorders of the legs
Paresthesias of the legs, e.g. burning, formication, feeling cold, absorbent cotton under the feet
Feeling of weakness in the legs
Restriction of movement of the lumbar spine
Muscle Tensions
Bladder/rectal disorders (problems with bowel movement and urination)

In most cases, a narrowing of the spinal canal, i.e. the canal through which the nerves of the spinal cord are guided, occurs in the thoracic spine and, to a limited extent, in the lumbar spine. However, there are also cases in which such a narrowing occurs in the cervical spine area and causes corresponding discomfort.

The cervical spine extends from vertebra C1 to C7. Due to the pressure exerted on the exiting nerves of the cervical spine in spinal canal stenosis, neck pain is the main cause, which increases in intensity. In addition, patients complain of sometimes severe numbness of the upper extremity.

At the onset of spinal stenosis and thus one of the first symptoms are tingling sensations in the arms, hands or fingers. Sometimes a sensation of cold or absorbent cotton is also reported. In extreme cases, mobility may also be impaired.

Sometimes those affected can only move their arm or legs to a limited extent. The lumbar spine forms the end of the spinal column downwards and consists of 5 vertebrae. The remaining 2 vertebrae are the sacrum and the coccyx.

If a narrowing of the spinal canal occurs in this area, it is also called lumbar spinal canal stenosis. If a narrowing of the spinal canal occurs in this area, the affected patients initially report back pain in the deep lumbar spine and rapid fatigue of the legs. In most cases, a narrowing of the spinal canal does not occur abruptly but rather gradually, and the first symptoms appear correspondingly slowly.

In most cases, the first symptoms of untreated spinal canal stenosis do not regress, but worsen bit by bit. As the disease progresses, the first symptoms are tingling in the legs and numbness. In the vast majority of cases, the affected persons only then go to the doctor.

In any case, these symptoms already indicate a severe impairment of the nerves in the lumbar spine area. The diagnosis of choice includes an extensive neurological test (this determines which nerves are affected at which level). After that, imaging should be performed as soon as possible.

Magnetic resonance imaging is the method of choice here. Under certain circumstances, it is performed with a contrast medium and shows very clearly where the spinal cord is constricted. In the further course of untreated spinal canal stenosis, the affected patients experience increasing motor failure of the legs.

In most cases, the leg bends away and the patient no longer has sufficient control of movement. If no treatment measures are initiated, complete paralysis of the legs may occur. In general, the symptoms slowly recede after surgical decompression treatment.

Nevertheless, it is especially important to start with an appropriate therapeutic treatment as early as possible in order to avert corresponding long-term damage. The causes of spinal canal stenosis are usually due to increasing degeneration, i.e. wear and tear, of the vertebral bodies. Calcifications or prolapses of the intervertebral discs in this area can also cause the space in the spinal column to become increasingly narrow. Among the main causes of degeneration in the vertebral body area, the most common are incorrect loads in daily life or insufficiently balanced malpositions.A spinal stenosis in the lumbar spine can also trigger a so-called cauda syndrome, which should be urgently recognized and can lead to permanent paraplegia if left untreated. We therefore recommend our site for further information:

Kauda syndrome